Dems to Obamaland: Share your data - Senate not moving on STEM - Plenty to watch in NDAA conference - In defense of the Internet - Notes from Dubai

By JESS KAMEN

12/05/2012 09:28 AM EST

With help from Tony Romm, Eliza Krigman and Steve Friess

DEMS TO OBAMALAND: SHARE YOUR DATA — From Lois Romano: “The hottest property to emerge from President Barack Obama’s lopsided victory over Mitt Romney is not the president’s much lauded campaign team. Nor is it the shrewd turnout operation that catapulted him to victory. It is something far more valuable that’s being guarded as zealously as the Pentagon: Obama’s unprecedented database of an estimated 16 million voters, volunteers and donors, which gave the Democrat an indisputable edge in November.” The story: http://politi.co/SM4Ht7

Story Continued Below

NOPE, SENATE NOT MOVING ON STEM — Don't be fooled: The Senate isn't about to take up a House-passed bill to boost green cards at the expense of the diversity visa program. Even though Majority Leader Harry Reid called up the bill Tuesday and objected to it — the process that eventually leads to legislation bypassing committee for the floor — the chamber isn't going to move to the STEM Jobs Act of 2012 any time soon. A Senate Democratic Leadership aide told POLITICO it's just a matter of protocol that Reid began the so-called Rule 14 process at the request of the minority and stressed Reid has no plan to bring it to the floor. (Of course, Reid's move should come as no surprise, given Democrats don't like the bill and many lawmakers prefer tackling comprehensive immigration reform.)

PLENTY TO WATCH IN NDAA CONFERENCE — As lawmakers get to work on conferencing the House's defense authorization bill with the measure Senate lawmakers cleared last night, there's plenty for the tech set to watch.

--Chief among the items on the priority list: An amendment, backed by Sen. Carl Levin, which puts into statute a requirement that contractors report successful network penetrations to DOD. There's no language in the House bill akin to what the upper chamber is backing. And the provision — Section 935, for those following along — has provoked considerable concern among the tech set, which prefers the voluntary, so-called DIB pilot already in place.

--Moreover, there must be some conversation to come on the issue of cyberoffense. Remember, the House-passed NDAA included explicit language emboldening DoD's power in cyberspace, and the Obama administration called out that section as it raised larger objections with the bill. Yet the Senate hasn't taken that route — setting up a small debate to come in the larger conference tug-of-war over the bill.

--Beyond cybersecurity, the Senate's NDAA includes a revised amendment from Sen. John Thune on government-held spectrum. Initially, the GOP pol's "sense of the Congress" measure urged the feds to figure out a way to relocate government users of the 1755-1850 MHz band, a chunk of spectrum highly prized by wireless companies. But the senator's modified amendment takes a much different tact. It specifies "all interest parties should be encouraged to continue the collaborative efforts" with the feds to figure out "relocation, transition and sharing arrangements and plans for 110 megahertz of federal spectrum in the 1695-1710 MHz and the 1755-1850 MHz bands."

IN DEFENSE OF THE INTERNET -- The House is scheduled today to take up the Senate's version of the so-called Internet freedom resolution that argues for the multistakeholder model of Internet governance and against granting governments authority to regulate the Net. Rep. Mary Bono Mack championed an Internet freedom resolution that the House adopted this past summer, but it had minor differences from the one that cleared the Senate.

NOTES FROM DUBAI -- “It’s still very early days,” Ambassador Terry Kramer told MT. The conference is in the process of hashing out an agreement on “foundational items” such as the definition of “telecommunication services” Kramer said. How this plays out is likely to set the tone for the rest of the conference, he noted. “We don’t know yet what this proposal is going to look like,” Kramer added. (The U.S. does not want the definition to broaden.) Discussions and negotiation about the business model of the Internet, the cost of connectivity and cybersecurity are forthcoming. We’re tracking.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING and welcome to Morning Tech, where covering tech and telecom policy can be a dangerous job. If you were on the Hill yesterday, you might have caught a glimpse of your graceful MT-er as she missed the last step in front of Longworth and fell flat on her face. But neither total humiliation nor a swollen ankle can sideline MT, so help cheer up your host — or make fun of her limp — by sending comments and tips to jkamen@politico.com or @ jesskamen. Find the crew’s contact info below today’s Speed Read and find Pro on Twitter @ POLITICOPro.

MASTERS OF THE 2016 CANDIDATE DOMAINS — Steve Friess has the story: “The land grab in cyberspace for ClintonCuomo.com, RubioChristie.com and other potential 2016 candidacies is already underway as speculators — and some candidates — snap up Internet addresses. Rick Santorum already tipped his hand by buying RickSantorum2016.com, RickSantorum2016.net and Santorum2016.net. But some campaigns pay extra to mask publicly available data about Internet domain name ownership, so it’s unclear whether Christie2016.com, ElizabethWarren2016.com or JoeBiden2016.com were registered by speculators or the candidates and their allies.” More here: http://politico.pro/11St0tw

--NOT THE MASTERS: It turns out a surprising number of prominent people don’t own their own names. Among them are GOP Sens. Rand Paul and Kelly Ayotte and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. In some cases, it’s no big deal — the owner of KellyAyotte.com posted a page urging Mitt Romney to make her his VP pick. But Rep. Louise Slaughter knows what kind of headache it can become; LouiseSlaughter.com has for years been controlled by foes of the 10-term New York Democrat, who post unceasing invective about her. Digital campaign consultant Josh Ross is baffled that the first-term senators from Tennessee and New Hampshire didn’t do so long before they became national figures. “It’s coming to a point where people coming up on city councils and state legislatures know to do this just in case,” Ross said. “It’s crazy not to.”

POLITICO PRO INTERVIEW: BILL MCDERMOTT -- SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott is in Washington this week for meetings, and POLITICO’s Elizabeth Wasserman caught up with him recently to talk about the federal government’s digital strategy and how relevant it is, particularly in a time when Congress and the White House are discussing the “fiscal cliff,” which he says should be more like a “glidepath.” Pros can read it here: http://politico.pro/VlP5uN

STATE LEGISLATORS HIT THE HILL — More than 100 state legislators will be in town today lobbying the Hill in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act. The visitors, which are part of the National Conference of State Legislators, will be meeting with Senate leadership as well as the members who represent them.

UBER CONQUERS WASHINGTON — The Washington D.C. City Council unanimously passed a measure Tuesday creating a framework for a “digital dispatch” service, a major victory for Uber, the fast-growing towncar-on-demand smartphone app. The company was already operating in D.C. but was threatened because its model doesn’t fit neatly in older laws governing taxis. In several cities, including Tampa and Las Vegas, cab companies and lawmakers seeking to protect the taxi industry have made it difficult or too costly for Uber to operate. The D.C. law authorizes the Taxi Commission to license sedans in addition to cabs and limos and sets new standards for price transparency. Uber officials said they view this as a “way forward” to offer to other cities.

AMASH TAKES TO FACEBOOK TO SLAM HOUSE GOP LEADERS — Rep. Justin Amash, who was booted from the Budget Committee as part of a series of committee moves by Republican leaders, lit into GOP leaders in Facebook post late last night. “Rumor has it that I’ve been removed from the House Committee on the Budget. Remarkably, I still have not received a single call, email or text from Republican leadership confirming this story,” Amash wrote. “In fact, I wouldn’t even have learned about it if not for the news reports. I look forward to hearing from my party’s leadership about why my principled, conservative voting record offends them. That’s sure to be a lively and entertaining conversation.” He ends the post with a more direct message: “If they think kicking me off of a committee will lead me to abandon my principles or stifle my bipartisan work toward a balanced budget, I have a message for them: You’re dead wrong.” The post: http://on.fb.me/SFf57j. (For more background on the drama, check out the story from Kate Nocera: http://politi.co/SLIQBV)

TECHNET’S STATE BROADBAND INDEX -- States with high levels of investment in their broadband infrastructure stand a better chance of seeing economic benefits, according to a new study out today from TechNet. The report, the “TechNet 2012 State Broadband Index: Where States Rank as They Look to High Speed Connectivity to Grow Strong Economies and Vibrant Communities,” found that states actively investing in and utilizing broadband networks are “seeing stronger economic growth, better connected communities and enhanced quality of life.” Washington tops the TechNet State Broadband Index, followed by Massachusetts and Delaware. “By comparing where states stand, the State Broadband Index offers stakeholders a roadmap for accelerating progress — and laying the foundation for stronger communities and a more innovative economy,” the report says. http://politico.pro/VuLBvS

FIRST LOOK: FPF WHITEPAPER — In advance of tomorrow’s FTC workshop on the practices and privacy implications of comprehensive collection of data about consumers’ online activities, the Future of Privacy Forum is out today with a whitepaper that says “it isn’t about how much data you have, but how you use it.” The report looks at the consumer and market forces that are driving companies to provide a wide range of integrated products and devices and argues that managing context is the key factor for privacy impact, rather than comprehensiveness of data.

“Under the contextual approach, data use practices are not evaluated in a vacuum,” the paper says. “Crude criteria such as the size of a company, the number of consumers or the breadth of data under its control are not dispositive. Rather it is the context of a transaction or relationship, shaped by consumer expectations, that legitimizes data practices.” Read it here: http://bit.ly/11ALTC6

TODAY: The Small Business & Entrepreneurial Council today hosts a panel discussion on “Technology & Entrepreneurship: How Small Businesses Are Affected by Dominance in the Tech World." Panelists include SB&EC CEO Karen Kerrigan, Global Security Network Director John Pike, Jonathan Kanter of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Association for Competitive Technology Executive Director Morgan Reed and Steve Pociask, president of the Center for Citizen Research at the American Consumer Institute.

Pociask is re-releasing an ACI paper titled “The Search for Market Dominance,” which finds that “there is significant evidence that Google is using its search dominance to steer consumers to its own sites or sites of its choosing — dictating what we read, where we shop and ultimately what we pay online,” Pociask said in prepared remarks shared with POLITICO. “In our view, there is more than enough evidence to call policymakers into immediate action, including a comprehensive antitrust investigation.” http://bit.ly/VkVs1w.

HOLDER IN BRUSSELS -- Attorney General Eric Holder is in Brussels today for the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online Ministerial, as well as some closed-press bilateral meetings with justice and interior officials.

SPEED READ

FACEBOOK TO JOIN NASDAQ 100: The company will join the Nasdaq-100 Index at the start of trading next Wednesday, Nasdaq OMX Group said late Tuesday. From The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/VltNgJ

YAHOO EXEC JOINS ALIBABA BOARD: Alibaba Group said that top Yahoo exec Jackie Reses had joined its board of directors, taking over a slot most recently held by the company’s former CFO Tim Morse and also previously held by Yahoo co-founder and former CEO Jerry Yang, AllThingsD reports: http://dthin.gs/11Bs9hJ

AMAZON LAUNCHES KINDLE CONTENT SERVICE FOR KIDS: Amazon is launching a subscription service for children's games, videos and books aimed at getting more kids to use its Kindle Fire tablet devices, The Associated Press reports: http://apne.ws/SFjhEa

APPS REDIRECT TEXTS, AND PROFITS, FROM CELLULAR PROVIDERS: Internet-powered services that send texts for free might be good for consumers, but it could cost the world’s wireless companies tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue, The New York Times reports: http://nyti.ms/VlutCZ

SAMSUNG NAMES JAY LEE AS VICE CHAIR: The move puts the son of the company's chairman a step closer to heading the consumer electronics company, The Wall Street Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/Yyv3Fb

LAW STUDENTS IN AUSTRIA CHALLENGE FACEBOOK PRIVACY POLICY: A student group, alleging that Facebook continues to violate Europe’s data protection laws, said it planned to appeal an Irish regulator’s settlement with the company, the NYT reports: http://nyti.ms/11xMG6E

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About The Author

Jess Kamen is a technology reporter for POLITICO Pro and the author of Morning Tech. She was a Web producer for Pro for more than a year, and previously worked as a freelance writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kamen has a bachelor's in political science from Johns Hopkins University and has toured the U.S. several times as the lead singer and guitarist in a punk-rock band.